• City Bakery

  3 West 18th Street, 212-366-1414

  Like burgers and hot dogs, chicken wings have lately undergone all sorts of gussying-up. But nowhere does the lowbrow meet the highbrow as successfully as at City Bakery, where American classics brush up against a sophisticated global spice rack. Two versions of wings alternate on Ilene Rosen’s ever-evolving salad bar and steam table, and though the herbal, subtly spiced Old Bay version has its fans, the salt-and-pepper wings can’t be beat: The excessive, almost assaultive seasoning shocks and awes the taste buds to a degree approached only by the boldest Chinatown chefs. Naturally, as this is the environmentally conscious City Bakery, the wings come from the happiest chickens from the best of homes, which should only enhance your enjoyment.

From the 2004 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine